(More Than) Grrrl Power! Girls Studies at UCF

I found this article from the Media Awareness Network. I thought it goes great with Week Twelves discussion and other discussions in the past. How does the media effect girls and their body image? Does it lower their self-esteem? This is a great resource for answers to those questions and many more. Enjoy! http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm

This site was created to educate the public about sex trafficking through education and creative media (this problem affects over one million people--girls being the most vulnerable). ~Anj

This is an article from USA today looking at how young girls are bombarded with the message that they need to be super-skinny in order to be sexy (what of young girls feeling the need to be sexy?). ~Anj

I came across this golden nugget of a site while doing research for a sociology course regarding gender. This site was created by graduate students of Columbia University, for their masters project in journalism: " We set out to interview a diverse group of women and experts to give us an up-to-the-minute report. Here, we provide an insightful look at the private and pervasive issues surrounding our bodies." I have spent hours on this site--it is fantastic. I ha

This website is basically the YouTube of feminism. It's great. It has all sorts of videos, commercials, PSAs, previews for feminist documentaries, lectures, and more thing relevant to feminism. I've spent hours and hours on here already. It is truly a wonderful resource.

This is a very comprehensive website that is quite interesting. It began as a power point and now has over 25oo images that can be accessed as learning tool for gender studies by anyone. Check out the section entitled "kids and ads" and tell me what you think (a little disturbing?). ~Anj

I thought this was a fabulous site, there is a lot to explore (something for everyone), I hope that you will enjoy! ~Anj

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl." ~Shirley Chisholm I came across this quote and thought it was so true. I remember as we talked about this at the beginning of the class this summer. Just thought I'd share!

I'm sure you've all seen this commercial before, but I love it, and the others like it. I love that a tampon company finally realized that they were insulting our intelligence by thinking that seeing a woman in white pants, dancing, would convince us that their tampon was the best. I don't care what tampon I'm wearing. I am NOT wearing white pants on my period! Anyway, I find this to be a step in the right direction when it comes to treating women like humans, treating their problems frankly, and not being afraid to be honest about menstruation.

When I was working on my service learning, I was helping out on the Hidden Treasure Farm. Because there were no women or children to work with at the time, I was set to doing farm tasks. At one point, I was cleaning chairs in an area that turned out to be full of wasps and ran away. After getting a class of water and calming down, I headed back to set aright the cleaning supplies, which were now strewn everywhere. As I did so, I gave myself a pep talk, which consisted of "Okay. Time to grow a pair and pick up the buckets." And then, of course, I was appalled at myself. Grow a pair? Of testicles? Because I needed testicles to go be around wasps. As the girlfriend of man who is afraid of bugs and runs away screaming (like a girl?) every time he sees a tiny spider, I know that being man does not make one brave or able to handle little stinging things. I even know that having testicles does not make a man. But phrases like "ran away like a girl" and "gro...

Heard an interview with Danica McKellar (Winnie from the Wonder Years) on NPR's Science Friday last night. McKellar is a math wiz and has finished her third book Hot X: Algebra Exposed! which combines math equations and personal stories about getting through middle and high school for girls. There is relationship advice and even an excerpt about domestic violence and the rise of dating violence among young people. This is from McKellar's website: Straight from Hollywood, two-time New York Times bestselling author Danica McKellar delivers Hot X: Algebra Exposed! With Math Doesn't Suck and Kiss My Math, actress and math genius Danica McKellar shattered the "math nerd" stereotype by showing students how to ace middle school math and pre-algebra in her unique, just-us-girls style. Now Danica takes on the most feared of all math classes: algebra! Sizzling with Danica's trademark sass and style, Hot X: Algebra Exposed puts math-phobic students at ease, showing a...

I came across this thing on my best friend's page on Facebook and shared it with everyone on there ( I didn't seem to get much response). But i personally was very outraged at the extent that women need to work to protect themselves. This is an article of a new type of condom that was made for women just in case they are raped there are some special teeth on it and it grips onto.... well you get the idea. The article is that link. Unfortunely the extent of the violence on women that is endured in Africa has resulted in women resorting to this. Enjoy!

For my service learning I had the opportunity to share with a group called Las Princesitas~~~ translation The Princesses. I just wanted to share their pictures and share how close i got to these young girls and hope that I somewhat helped or impacted their lives with what I had to share with them. On the top left is Jenny she's 13 and my little sister (literally), then theirs estrella and lorena. She's the leader of the group and thats her daughter she's 13.And they have the most amazing relationship. Then at the bottom left is Paola she's 12 and then Bryana who's 13. All these girls are very beauttiful on both the inside and out and best of all they know it and are not ashamed. Just thought i should share!

The Girl Power! A Healthy Woman Event connects parents and their daughters in an afternoon filled with laughter, learning and listening. The event includes: •Engaging certified experts in the fields of nutrition, self-esteem, safety and communication •Interactive, fun exhibits •Delicious treats •Fantastic Prizes •A gift bag to be filled with goodies The 2010 Girl Power! A Healthy Woman Event will be held Saturday, August 28, 2010 Orange County Convention Center South Concourse 12:30 - 5:30 p.m Here are a few of the speakers for the one day event: •Nurse practitioner with Dr. Catherine Zelner, GYN •Co-founder, Parents Everywhere •Columnist, Moms Like Me •Parenting Educator (teaches workshops in town) •Reiki & Qigong Practitioner •UCF College of Nursing Adjunct Faculty

I am across this website/blog about this cool girl Julie. This is from her cite: "I live in Chicago. I am in the gifted program at school. I love playing music, dancing, and drawing. I am in Girl Scouts." "I have a lot of pets:3 dogs ( Lilly, Laui, and Cocoa)2 cats (Winnie, and Buddy) 1 Beta Fish (Swimmy)1 Guinea Pig (Lucky)" She reviews music, has her own videos and sells merchandise.

What do you think of Urban Outfitters campaign and collection of t-shirts that encourage eating disorders?  

A few months ago, I spotted Eve Ensler's new book in Borders. I didn't have the money to buy it, so I sat down and read the entire thing in an hour. I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World is said, by Ensler, "a literary text inspired by traveling the world, by witnessing events, by listening to real and imagined conversations. On occasion a monologue was inspired by an article, an experience, a memory, a dream, a wish, an image, or a moment of grief or rage." The monologues inside made me laugh, made me cry, made me question, made me angry, etc. Much like the The Vagina Monologues , it is empowering and sad and rage-inducing and beautiful. I urge all of you to check it out, to buy it for yourself or for a teenage girl in your life, and to share the stories with others. I wanted to post Eve's "introduction"/letter to girls/readers in the beginning. This was posted in a magazine a few months ago (Glamour, I believe) and it...

Changing Bodies, Changing Lives A Book for Teens on Sex and Relationships An essential road map through the difficult terrain of adolescence, Changing Bodies, Changing Lives gives teens a thoughtful, empathetic and personal look at the issues that affect them daily. Teenagers need a place to find factual, straightforward, and thorough information on sex and on the many ways puberty affects their emotional and physical health. Since 1981, Changing Bodies, Changing Lives has been the source for teens who want facts and confirmation that they're not alone in what they're feeling and doing. In this newly revised and expanded edition, reputed by clinic directors, sex educators, parents and teenagers to be "the best in its field," Ruth Bell and her co-authors continue to offer nonjudgmental advice on every issue confronting adolescents today. Not only has each chapter been fully updated, but there are four new chapters addressing issues of today's teens. Based on quotes...

(Trigger warning) I know that Abigail did her Book Review on Speak, and if any of you aren't familiar with the book or the film, you should check it out. I read this book in high school and it was incredibly emotional. Laurie Halse Anderson wrote and read this poem for the 10th anniversary of the book. The poem is composed of lines from emails/letters she's received from people who have read the book. It's incredibly touching, and shows how words on a page can transform, change, and save lives. ... You write to us from Houston, Brooklyn, Peoria, Rye, NY, LA, DC, Everyanywhere USA to my mailbox, My Space Face Book A livejournal of bffs whispering Onehundredthousand whispers to Melinda and Me. You: I was raped, too sexually assaulted in seventh grade, tenth grade, the summer after graduation, at a party i was 16 i was 14 i was 5 and he did it for three years i loved him i didn’t even know him. He was my best friend’s brother, my grandfather, father, mommy’s boyfriend, my date...

Animal Safehouse is having a benefit concert at Natura Coffee & Tea on Friday August 6th from 8:30pm-1am. Natura is located 12078 Collegiate WayOrlando, FL (behind Friendly’s and AppleBees on University Blvd.) Please spread the word and come support the cause. Animal Safehouse of Brevard is a not-for-profit effort geared towards providing temporary safe placement of pets who, like their owners, need to flee from domestic violence situations. While there are shelters for women and children, there are currently no facilities for their pets. Most women with pets will not leave their abusive homes if they cannot bring their furry loved ones along in fear of retaliation. Leandra Preston, Professor of Women's Studies at University of Central Florida, has worked closely with the Domestic Violence Task Force of Brevard, the Salvation Army domestic violence program, and Serene Harbor for several years. As an avid animal lover, she recognized the desperate need for a safe place for pe...

Synopsis “Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secret,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia’s mother is busy saving other people’s lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia’s head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way – thin, thinner, thinnest – maybe she’ll disappear altogether. In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson explores one girl’s chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia.

True Blood is an HBO television drama series based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris. The show is about vampires “coming out” to human society because of a synthetic blood like drink. The story follows Sookie Stackhouse and her vampire partner Bill Compton in Louisiana. The show is very violent but Pema Levy from Women’s Rights points out that the show is taking a dangerous turn and the violence has become increasingly sexual. “It’s not violence per se that is unacceptable, but rather the context in which it is portrayed: showing violence against women without simultaneously condemning that violence. The writers believe that they can justify this by using a theme: vampires are inherently violent, like blood, like violent sex. In doing so, True Blood buys into the same myths about violence and rape that do real harm to women today: that men have more sexual drive, that rape is an act of passion rather than domination, that women mean yes when the...

Evertone ought to check out Girls Drawing Girls. This collective of female artists create pin-up drawings which comment on the sexualized art of women made by men. There are a lot of talented women present here. (Some art is a bit NSFW but it's nothing a woman hasn't seen before!)

I'm really posting this about the article that's linked to the "Title," of this post. I ran across it while at work (...yes, I read feminism articles while on the clock, SUE ME). I was pretty mortified by what I read. I'm also mortified by the TLC HIT show: Toddlers & Tiaras. Don't get me started. Enjoy!

Probably if you've taken a psychology class, you've learned about the phenomenon of "feral children". Basically, it is a non-medical term used to describe children who have grown up without any consistent human social interaction. There have been some famous cases, like a boy in France who was apparently raised by wolves, and a girl named Genie, who was found strapped to a potty chair in her adolescence. A few years ago, a case like this surfaced in the Tampa Bay area, and a link to the article is above. A seven-year-old girl named Danielle was found starving, surrounded by bugs, in a locked room, where she 'lived' with her mother and two older brothers. You can find all the information on her progress in the article, and it's pretty inspiring, but I wanted to know what everyone thought of the situation. The mother chose to keep caring for her adult sons, one of whom was mentally handicapped, but never even took her daughter outside. She blamed many...

Below is a response to a discussion on the book "Women at Point Zero." I am sharing it becuase it is personal to me and hope it will encourage others to read the novel. Essay Response to a discussion on the novel “Women at Point Zero.” 1. Firdaus states that “I now knew that all of us were prostitutes who sold themselves at varying prices” (76). Explain the import of this statement in the context of the entire novel. I felt almost obligated to write on this topic. It might be because of the glaring instances in the book or the connection that such a topic has with me personally. Whatever the reason, this is what I have chosen and while the examples that I have pick out to discuss are clear to see in the narrated story I find them the most relevant to our lives as women, especially mine. From the beginning of the book our narrating character, Firdaus, has been groomed, blindly by her immediate family in the commodity of human service. Reading through page 16 we see her mother...

I was heading to the lake this weekend, listening to XM Radio's "Station 6," which is 60's Music. This song came on and I sent myself an email to post this here. The lyrics say it all...this is our life. It makes no difference if you're rich or poor Or if you're smart or dumb A woman's place in this old world Is under some man's thumb And if you're born a woman You're born to be hurt You're born to be stepped on, lied to, cheated on And treated like dirt Ah if you're born a woman You're born to be hurt A woman's lot is to give and give And go on giving A woman's got to love and lose And go on living Well I was born a woman I didn't have no say And when my man finally comes home He makes me glad it happened that way Because to be his woman No price is too great to pay Yes I was born a woman I'm glad it happened that way Oh I was born a woman I'm glad it happened that way

Operation Beautiful – transforming the way you see yourself one post-it note at a time This blog of people leaving post-it notes all around where they live of messages of inner beauty and self acceptance. There’s an event going on from August 2-7th in which people place notes in women’s bathrooms and other various places saying things like “You=Perfect” and “You are Lovely” trying to bring people smiles and spread the word of loving our bodies and ourselves and rejecting societal standards. National Organization for Women has done this type of Love Your Body campaign in the past and I hope that others at UCF leave these messages of love around campus this week.